LiveDifferent Challenge (24): Take out the Trash!
You know it’s been almost six months of doing these LiveDifferent Challenges, and I have refrained from mentioning TV. Mostly because I don’t want anyone to get the idea that I’m a legalistic weirdo who thinks TVs are evil. They aren’t. Just because we don’t have one doesn’t mean we think they are inherently bad. They aren’t. The second reason was that all the people who I know read this blog don’t have a problem with watching too much TV, so it didn’t seem relevant. But this week I read a fun article about People Who Live Without TV, and I thought it was fascinating. I would not call myself a “religious right ultraconservative” person, (as the author does) in fact I love “crunchy granola” and I recycle religiously, I just want to live a life as pleasing to Christ as possible, so call me what you will.
Growing up we always owned a TV, but didn’t really watch it. I can remember Little House on the Prairie and renting The Wilderness Family from the library, and sometimes being allowed to watch The Dukes of Hazard with my dad, but other than that I don’t remember really watching TV. It certainly wasn’t a daily occurrence. So, I think maybe that is part of the reason that I have no interest in it. It’s not a discipline for me to not have a TV, it’s a preference. I’d have to agree with the woman in the article who simply said, “It’s just something I don’t want in the home – it’s a perpetual annoyance, like a gnat.” Agreed.
But even more than that, what disturbs me about television is the trash that is on it. I think perhaps because I’m not accustomed to it, it shocks me even more when I see the boobs, butts, sexual innuendos, and downright disgusting humor that has become the norm on today’s TV. Christians certainly aren’t called to live in a bubble, but if I can choose to limit my family’s exposure to trash, I will! For the same reason that I don’t feed them Cheetos and white Minute Rice–because I love them.
We actually used to own a TV, which was a Christmas present. Where we’ve chosen to draw the line is at cable. I have no problem with the physical box that is a TV, and if we can tweak some rabbit ears and get the news or some educational documentary on PBS that’s great, but choosing to pay a monthly fee so that trash can be streaming directly into our home is not for me. We already pay a monthly fee to have our trash taken away from our house! I don’t want it back! 🙂
Jeff and I do enjoy curling up together occasionally and watching a movie. In the last six months we’ve been blessed to see Cinderella Man, Amazing Grace, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. There is no black and white answer to how one’s household should deal with the TV, but if we don’t think and pray and act intentionally, with the aim of making our home as Christlike as possible, I’m afraid the trash sneaks in and pretty soon the entire house smells like the garbage of the world.
So this week, just think about it. I’m not saying you have to toss your TV in the trash. Someday perhaps we’ll own another one. But consider what is allowed to sneak into your home. Think of yourself as a guard–protecting you and your family from the garbage that the world is trying to sell. I have enough trouble keeping the mind of Christ as it is–I don’t need any more competition from the world! The pull is strong enough!
When in doubt, maybe just fast TV for a week. Encourage your kids and husband to join you. Read the paper. Check the news online. Read a book. Go outside. Go for a walk or lie in the grass. Whatever you decide, guard your precious heart from any garbage you don’t need. Take out the trash…and leave it there.